Kajiado County through its Department of Environment, Natural resources and Climate Change has launched a community sensitization campaign to eradicate ipomoea, an invasive weed that has choked grazing fields.
According to the County Executive Committee Member for Environment, Natural resources and Climate Change Michael Semera, the weed which was declared a county disaster last year by Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has occupied huge acres of grazing fields and brought immense losses to livestock farmers as no pasture grows under it.
Speaking at the launch in Matapato South, Semera emphasized that there is urgent need to tackle the spread of ipomoea as it threatens livelihoods by suppressing the growth of grass and other vegetation, making large areas of land unproductive and unsuitable for livestock grazing.
He noted that the weed has widely spread in Matapato North, Matapato South and Imaroro in Kajiado East greatly affecting livestock keepers as they are forced to relocate to search for pasture elsewhere even though it has rained in their specific locations. "The only solution is to uproot it, especially during the rainy season as it becomes easier to uproot it.
